The Man You Need
by wolfofsheep
Summary: Story for risknight... Set before Amy/Bernadette... Sheldon gets a shock to the pre-frontal cortex and has a fun night.


_Hello Everyone... *tips her hat*_

_This story is for the great **risknight** and the many wonderful things she does while using my name! ^_^_

_This is set before Amy/Bernadette days and is loosely in random POVs... This story is not one of my better ones, but I love it like a three legged dog!_

_Hope you enjoy... and if you don't... clap three times and spin around. It'll make you feel awesome! ^_^_

* * *

Sheldon sneered at the horrendously colorful confetti riddled poster art for Cal-tech's annual 'Cinco de Mayo' party for tomorrow then ripped it right off his door. Every single employee at the university was told it would be mandatory for them to build up 'morale' amongst the staff. As Sheldon balled the paper up and disposed of its contents into a trash can beside the elevator, he shook his head in knowing that this 'party' had just obligated him to learn Spanish. It was only the logical thing to do for a Hispanic holiday in his mind.

He found his way to the parking deck and headed towards his parking spot. Why the university gave him one when he clearly told them he does not drive baffled him completely, but it was closer than Leonard's spot, so he took that as an internal win against his roommate.

Sheldon saw the top of Leonard's head at the driver side door. The sound of the keys jingling caught his ears within the vast echoes of the Californian wind throughout the oversized concrete shelf as he slid to the passenger side door. Without a word, the two entered the car and got ready for the ride.

Lately, Leonard had begun to speak non-stop about Penny on their drives to and from work. It had become an amorous annoyance to him. He had to drown the poor man's yearnings with super-positions of the quantum field theory in hopes that if he didn't answer the baited questions then maybe Leonard would go silent. Alas, the lactose intolerant homunculus just took that as a sign to continue thinking out loud.

Sheldon did not truly understand what his roommate was going on and on about. What was it about their neighbor that wouldn't let his roommate's thoughts postulate upon his work? Penny was the girl in high school who dated the most muscular moron she could find and laugh when the nerds were dunked into a toilet. She was an embarrassing realization that men were fools for beauty. He would not deny that their neighbor was aesthetically pleasing to the eye, but the fact that she was no smarter than a table covered in spilled salt turned him off of her, instantly. Her personality was magnetic, yes… but sweet words and unabashed physical contact was nothing without some sort of intellect.

They got to Los Robles and began heading up the flights of stairs. Sheldon nearly winced as Leonard gave a heartbreaking sigh and knew he was going to start speaking again.

"I have so much to offer the opposite sex; except maybe muscles or a tolerance for dairy products, BUT I'm a really great guy. I'm sweet and loyal and travel sized… any woman would be lucky to have me."

Sheldon gave a sniff as they rounded the stairs, "Face it, Leonard. Penny's psychological desire for the Neanderthal physique, stamina, and IQ are far too entrenched into her psyche to change. You either need to DE-evolve or hope that Penny will receive a pulse of electricity to the pre-frontal cortex of her brain causing a drastic change in her personality. Either way, you and I will be in our apartment eating Thai food while she is out engaging in coitus with a Ken doll of her choosing."

He unlocked the door to 4A and slid inside while removing his satchel and placing it inside his computer chair. He looked back to see his roommate outside their door, staring longingly across the hall. Leonard took off his satchel and placed it beside the couch and barely mumbled he was going to get the Thai food as he jingled the keys and bolted from the room. Sheldon narrowed his eyes then went to go close the door his roommate left open and muttered, 'That's a strike', as he got the entrance. He was about to slam the door when he looked out to see a man grinding himself against the blonde in her doorway. He watched for a moment as their kiss deepened and their hands moved freely over each other. Sheldon took in every motion without even meaning to. He swallowed deeply then snapped himself out of the trance and cleared his throat, "I do believe the phrase is 'Get a Room' and you are nearly inside of one so why not use it."

The sentence had come out more sour than he had meant to, possibly because of Leonard's hurt feelings from the site. The two stopped their movements; Penny's more of a jolt and the man's was more of an annoyed bend-back. Without even looking his way, the man grinned down at the blonde and said, "No need to get a room… we just got out of hers not too long ago."

Penny showed embarrassment and pushed a lock of hair behind her ear. The man kissed her deeply then shouldered his jacket and walked towards the stairs. He glared at Sheldon but only met uninterested orbs of frosted ocean then jogged down the stairs. Sheldon just could not hold his tongue, "Is it in your intentions to find a man most likely to rape you and hide your body underneath your bed? He probably didn't even need to bother trying to slip you a rohypnol."

Penny frowned deeply, "WH-WHAT? Where the hell did that come from? He…"

He cut her off in a fit of anger that he wasn't used to doing, "… bought you alcoholic beverages all night so he must be the man of your dreams. Yes. Such a gentlemen. Tell me, Penny, what was that man's name?"

Electric blue and smoky grey collided as the two stared at one another in a heated clash. After a few moments, Sheldon snorted a callous laugh, "I thought as much." He slammed the door to his apartment and groaned loud enough to make sure the blonde heard it.

He shouldn't have done that. It was none of his business, but something about that situation made him overly angry. His iPhone squealed that it was nearly dead and shook him out of his funk. He turned and headed to his room for his charger.

He grabbed the charger and headed back to the living room and sat at the desk beside the window. He plugged in his phone and remembered his obligation for the Cinco de Mayo party. He groaned and began looking through the App Store for something decent on the Spanish language. There were many options, but most were too expensive for just one night. He huffed and pressed the bottom button to escape the store. He thought about searching through Podcasts, but they were only people trying to find fame just to cease making Podcasts. That left only one site… youtube.

It didn't take him long to find one that he liked. A flamboyantly charming Mexican from the Pueblo state with the screen name 'ElAmordeAmante' were doing small, 10 minute 'Easy to Use' videos on 'Everyday Spanish' and they were very helpful. The way that 'El Amor' explained about the difference between speaking with family and strangers was highly logical. By the 18th video, Sheldon had actually 'fallen' for the very exotic way the man spoke and moved, and not just the lessons.

Unbeknownst to anyone in the Los Robles Apartment complex, the building attendant, who was pierced in more places than anybody knew, was underneath the apartment at the humming fuse box where he is staring at the complex fuses and switches while looking down at the sheet with all the labels to apartments that his father drew up in 1963 then back up the fuse box. The man began to sweat profusely as he tried to find the fuse to 3B where a guy complained that his microwave had short circuited. The man swallowed and put his shaking hand in the air towards the one his father labeled. A small droplet of sweat drifted from the fat man's wrist to the tip of his index finger just as he touched the fuse…

The lights flickered a few times as Sheldon looked up from his phone with his eyebrows furrowed. Suddenly, every light bulb, the TV, the laptops, the land line phone, and anything plugged in began to hum loudly. Before he could even react, everything went black and an unbelievably immediate pulse of energy exploded in a luxurious blue static within the darkness right into the finger tips of the physicist. His body was encircled with bolts of energy and sent him ridged to the floor.

* * *

Penny slammed the ice cream carton on to the surface of her kitchen's table island with a spoon stabbed deeply inside. Why in the hell did that crazy ass virgin infuriate her so much? He called her date a 'rapist'… insinuating that she'd sleep with anyone. FUCK HIM, she screamed loudly in her mind. Just because the closest thing he had ever had to having intercourse was cuming inside a sock watching Zoe Saldana in the new Star Trek movie did not mean he had the right to question HER about who she slept with. She could hear his snooty 'WHOM' correcting her, "Bastard!"

Yet, through all her anger, she allowed the look of disappointment on the man's face to swell inside her. Her eyes watered a bit as she wrapped her lips on the tip of the spoon and slowly drag the ice cream into the back of her throat. Suddenly, the lights flickered a few times before everything started to hum. Penny moved away from the microwave and looked wildly around her apartment before there was a loud clap of sound then everything went black. She blinked within the darkness and questioned whether the electric company had it out for her because she missed this month's payment, too.

She blindly made her way to the door and waved her hand out to the small table beside it. She opened the one drawer and pulled out her big Maglite and clicked it on. There was a bit of smoke rising from her TV and she sighed. She turned and stared at the spot light of her flashlight on the door knob. She had a huge war raging about one question, 'should she go check on Sheldon?'. In the end, the usually black and blue angel on her shoulder won and she turned the door knob.

The walk across to 4A was short, but the thought that Sheldon being a robot and had been plugged in and possibly shorted out made it feel like a very fun marathon as she smiled widely. She knocked on the door 'LIKE A NORMAL PERSON' she thought to herself loudly, but got no response. She knocked again with a tab bit of worry building up, "Shellldon… Hey. You alright?"

Nothing. The smile on her face faded and she swallowed deeply. She lifted her hand to knock one more time but heard a very faint groaning sound and ripped open the door finding it to be unlocked. The spotlight was frantic as she shone it inside the lightless room, "Sheldon? SHELDON? Where are you?"

She moved around the apartment's living room with Flash-like movements and bolted for the hallway. Before she could get to the small step up to the hall, she heard another groan and stopped dead in her tracks. She flung the spot light in the direction of the window and it lowered to shine on the smoking hands of Sheldon. She yelped and moved to his side swiftly, "OH GOD… Sheldon… Please be ok."

She tapped the side of his cheek as she leaned over him. She did it a few times as her breathing turned into panting. She was extremely worried, now. Her tapping turned harder as she mumbled his name with her eyes frantically searching for a sign of movement. Her hand went still in mid air as his eyes started to flutter a bit, "Sh-Sheldon? Oh Jesus… Please… say something?"

As Sheldon open his eyes opened wide, there was a spark. Not between her and him… but an actual spark. It danced along his irises and seeped back into his pupil. As it happened, Sheldon's head twitched to the side as if his whole body was restarting. Penny waited a few moments as he just laid there, staring upwards.

"Sheldon?"

Sheldon pushed himself upwards as Penny moved from above him. She sat to his side and kept the flashlight on his face. She watched as the man's hair raised up then flattened back down to his head. His body jolted again as if having an aftershock before looking over at the light, shielding his eyes from the light.

Penny let out a gasp, "Oh my GOD… Sheldon… your fingers…!"

The man looked down at his seared finger tips in saddened wonderment. He touched each finger with his thumb on each hand and winced. Penny lowered the light out of his face to his hands and cringed a little. She looked at Sheldon and her eyes widened a bit… he looked different. She couldn't explain why. Maybe, because his face was full of emotion.

Sheldon looked up from his hands to Penny's face and did a double take. She noticed the movement and their eyes met. Sheldon gave a very gorgeous smile as he reached up and lightly touched a lock of her golden hair with his fleshless fingers, "Hola… diosa de cabellos dorados."

Penny froze. Sheldon's normal Texan accent had reverted into the sexiest Antonio Banderas accent she had ever heard. She didn't even understand him, but the way he was staring at her gave off enough vibes to know that what he said was meant to be flirtatious.

"Sheldon? This isn't funny… Hell, I didn't even think you KNEW how to SPELL funny."

Sheldon removed his hand from her hair gently and smiled so warmly at her. He spoke with a luscious Spanish accent that made Penny's loins scream, "I am fine, senorita. Just a bit shook up is all. But, what I am worried about is why such a beautiful woman, like yourself, is all alone."

Penny felt a small stab in her stomach then she shook it off, "Ok… What the HELL?" Penny stood up quick and angrily causing Sheldon to jump back a little at the sudden movement, "You make a huge scene about me being such a whore that the "RAPIST" didn't even have to bother roofie-ing me and now you're trying on a new accent and hitting on me?"

She watched him smile wider and it sent her brain into flames, "I THOUGHT YOU WERE DEAD, you insensitive ASS ANDROID! DAMN IT!" She let out a burst of air from her nose and dusted herself off, "I'm going back to my apartment. Don't fall asleep and die. Or do… whatever!"

She marched towards the door with her teeth grinding from all the things she REALLY wanted to say to the whackadoodle. She didn't even bother closing the door to 4A behind her as she cleared the hallway to her door, the spotlight from her flashlight leading the way. She was mumbling to herself as she slid into her darkened apartment and slamming the door. She was half disappointed that he hadn't chased her, but that part was drowned by her rush to the top of her fridge to the neck of her wine bottle. She didn't even bother searching for a cup. She uncorked the damn thing and chugged it as she ignored the fact that her ice cream was still on the kitchen island.

Her fury subsided as she collapsed into the center cushion of her couch with the bottle firmly gripped in her hand and the flash light bouncing on the cushion beside her. Her anger flooded from her eyes and she sniffed. Another chug from the bottle was cut short by the knock on her door. She nearly choked herself as splatters of wine drizzled down her chin. She put the bottle on the table and rushed to the door while grabbing the flash light in a single bound. She ripped open the door and a shocked look took over her face.

"Leonard… Hey."

Leonard gave a coy smile, "Hey. Ummm… are you alright? The woman in 1A told me that the apartment went black in the parking garage. Just wanted to check up on you." He smiled softly then sighed as if having to get down to the 'real' reason he stopped by, "Ha-Have you seen Sheldon anywhere? I came home with the Thai food and the door was wide open and he was nowhere in the apartment."

Penny didn't like the word 'pathetic' but looking at Leonard, sometimes, it was the only word she could think of… but he was kinda cute. Then, the realization of what he just said kicked in, "Oh, Balls…"

Penny ran back into her apartment and grabbed her coat and purse. She shut her door with her feet as she put on her coat, "Leonard, your roommate isn't quite himself right now… stay here and if you see him, Call Me. Ok?"

Leonard, perplexed by the speed and abruptness of the woman, watched her bolt to the stairs and down them with flip flops on and he called out, "O-Ok" down the corridor.

* * *

Sheldon's eyes blurred and focused in and out as he walked down the newly darkened streets of Pasadena. He knew everything. The number of spaces between each crack on the pavement… how many seconds the stop light had between changing colors… which pizzeria had the best sauce. It was old information, but yet, all so brand new to him. It made him smile at just how much he knew… yet didn't know. He let in a big sniff of air through his nose and began whistling a song stuck in the back of his memory from long ago.

He made his way to the outskirts of downtown Pasadena and could hear the faint sound of a trumpet. He paused and listened harder to pinpoint the exact location. It wasn't hard with the more than perfect hearing he possessed since he was a child and he gave an unusually cheerful smile and headed toward the musica.

He only walked one more block down before he saw the Mexican flag waving softly in the calm but cooling air of the Pasadena night. He moved to the double glass door where the salsa music was seeping through the cracks. When he opened it up, the music tumbled out in an uproar of spicy rhythm and got locked inside as it shut behind him.

* * *

Penny drove with the window down in a desperate back and forth from one side of the sidewalk to the other. She cannot believe that Doctor Don't-Touch-Me turned into Senior Sweet-Talker from what looked like a real good shock to the brain. His fingers looked like an overcooked piece of bacon. She winced and focused on looking again. She licked her bottom lip as his smile filled her senses and she sighed loudly. She slowed down to 20 miles per hour on a busy downtown road as the site of a huge Mexican flag flowed softly. She came to a complete stop and shook her head, "Please be this predictable."

She pulled into a parking spot and pulled herself out while trying to check herself in the only side mirror she had left. She sighed and stood for a moment as if readying herself then moved towards the front door of 'Le Caja Caliente'. She swallowed and walked within the blaring music.

She saw groups of people encircling the dance floor while the rest surrounded the bar. She moved within the natural fog of the room leaving men staring after her in lust and women in anger. She scanned the large room with TV's that had nothing but soccer on each of them but it was the music that took over the bar. It was so loud it was impossible to hear the lyrics but enough to feel the beat within your chest. She could hear a faint rumble of people giving out shouts of joy from the TVs. She moved towards the bar and ordered a bottle of Budweiser. She turned around in the fake leather covered stool and nearly choked on the liquid as a quick movement of red caught her eye. She lowered the bottle from her lips as her jaw dropped slightly. Sheldon, wearing his Flash shirt and light khakis, was salsa dancing with a very beautiful figured woman and looking as if he had been doing it all his life.

She put a $5 on the bar and left her bottle to head to the dance floor. She slipped in between the couples watching the lanky man nearly make love to the spicy whore sauce on the dance floor. Penny growled and pushed her way to the dance floor in her flip flops just as the song ended and people began to crowd on the floor again. She grabbed the front of his shirt just as the woman tried to kiss him and yanked him to her.

Sheldon's eyes blinked a few times then smiled lovingly, "Hello again, mi Belleza Dorada. I see you couldn't stay away."

Penny narrowed her eyes, "It isn't safe for you to just wander around the city with… a new personality… someone could take advantage of you or worse… you could take advantage of someone." She found herself blushing and cursing herself at the same time.

Sheldon raised a brow and the smile softened on his face, "I thank you for showing concern for… my victims. Would… would you care to dance?"

Penny looked behind him at the couples dancing ballroom style and then looked back at the warm face of the once man-child in front of her, "I-I don't know how to dance like that."

He shrugged and held out his still scarred hand with his blue eyes sparkling as he licked his lips, "Then what do you have to lose?"

Penny shook her head, "You ain't getting me out there."

He lowered his hand and Penny watched his face to find the twitch of her using 'ain't', but all he did was purse his lips and sigh, "Very well." He pretended to turn slightly in defeat, but quickly wrapped an arm around her waist and yanked her onto the dance floor. His laugh was so human… so gorgeously perfect, that it became contagious. He twirled her around as she laughed neither of them on beat with the song. One in loafers and the other in flip flops just promenading between the worried couples.

Then, the song went slow and soft and sad. The two stopped dead in their tracks. Sheldon pulled the blonde to him and slowly swayed. Penny could hear his heartbeat and it was the most romantic melody she ever heard. Sheldon Cooper's Heartbeat… something she thought was a myth, but… this wasn't Sheldon. She sighed into his chest and pulled away just enough to look up at him then got frozen by blue eyes. She shook her head and talked softly, "Hypothetically speaking, what would cause a person to drastically change their personality?"

Sheldon made a face as if pondering a thought, "There are many causes of personality changes… stroke, delirium, congenital diseases, head trauma, tumors, and even electrocution. This is not the kind of whispering you're supposed to do when pressed up against such a luscious woman."

Penny looked at the hand that held hers and saw the burns… electrocution. She gave a grin, "But this is what gets my motor running… nothing is sexier than a big ol'brain. Now… how would one 'fix' that problem."

Sheldon's eyes were sad as they looked down and Penny's face dropped all emotion and she wanted to take him away from everything. Did… did Sheldon want to stay like this? He looked back up at her and his smile returned, "I'm not too sure. Possibly, another shock could do it or just making the brain jolt slightly. Nothing that couldn't be fatal in the long run."

She stopped dancing making him do the same, "Fatal? As in… could kill you?"

He nodded, "Everything is fatal… just depends on the dosage you're willing to take."

She shook her head, "What? This is not a joke, Sheldon. This is very serious."

He frowned and sighed, "Do you believe that I see this as a game? I… I am actually happy. I see all the bad things in my past and realized that I am not that man. I can be..."

"What… a Mexican drug lord? You are SHELDON. No matter what accent you use."

He shook his head, "Why do you want me back to that other Sheldon?"

She didn't hesitate when she looked up at his sad blue eyes, "Because… I like to know that there isn't some guy trying to get into my pants when I ask him for a favor. That when a man says he'll do something, it becomes the only logical thing he can do. When I go downstairs at 8:15 on a Saturday night, he'll always be there. He's… You're just as much a part of my schedule as I am in yours. I'm lost when you're not there. I-I… I need you."

His finger laced into her hair and he palmed the side of her face as he pressed his lips against hers. Simultaneously, they moaned into their kiss as if both had been waiting for so long. When they broke apart, the two were drunk in passion but neither dared to make the first move.

Penny looked up at the beautiful man before her and let out a grunt of air then whispered, "I'm sorry, Sweetie."

Sheldon's glazed over eyes shone in confusion as his head tilted at just the right angle, "For wh-"

Before he had the chance to question, Penny's fist collided with his jaw and the man blacked out.

* * *

"elldensHhhelleldonsShHEelLDdoONn…"

Sheldon's head was scrambled with too many images as his sight blurred from light to darkness. He slowly opened his eyes to the horrible sounds that were trying to call to him.

"Sheeelllldon… c'mon Sweetie. C'mon…"

Sheldon's eyes opened to the site of Penny smiling over him and then a halo of Hispanics above him, "So this is Hell?"

Penny's eyes went wide then lowered down as if disappointed at his Texan accent. She gave her usual smile as she helped him sit up, "You're back! Sorry for the right hook… it was the only thing I could think of to give you a big enough shock." He rubbed his jaw in confirmation of the pain.

She took his arm and wrapped it around her head and helped him stand as the patrons all scattered back to whatever they were doing. There was a silence between them as they headed out of the bar towards the small parking lot where her car was. As they to the entrance of the caged lot, Sheldon stopped causing Penny to pause and look up him. He looked at her with a serious face, "You know there was a better way of bringing me back besides punching me?

Penny rolled her eyes, "Well, yeah. Sorry though… I left my severed power lines at home." She moved to try and get him to the car so she could get back to her wine and pretend this day didn't happen, but he wasn't budging.

"Penny…"

His voice was so soft that it nearly flew away. She looked back at him and he looked like the same old Sheldon and it made her heart hurt. She rubbed her face with her hangs and smiled, "Trust me Sheldon… Punching you was absolutely the best way for me. It was like saying good bye… with a big, hefty semicolon to your face."

Sheldon grabbed a golden lock of her hair that was cupping her face and his face softened a little, "Good to be back, regardless."

He gave one more smile before letting her hair slip out of his fingers then snapped back to his usual sneering face then headed to her car with his lumbering walk. She smiled after the only man she ever really needed… then cringed from the pain of her hand.


End file.
